Posts Tagged ‘NYRR’

This was originally published 5/19/2015, but thanks to technical hijinks, I had to restore my site and re-upload a few posts. Apologies to subscribers for finding this in your inbox again!

The 2015 Airbnb Brooklyn Half on Saturday, May 16 was the largest 13.1-mile race in the U.S. and the biggest in the event’s history with 26,482 runners crossing the finish line on the Coney Island Boardwalk. I worked the event for NYRR as a race announcer.

For perspective, the three largest American half-marathons in 2014, per RunningUSA, didn’t break the 26,000 runner mark:

It’s all part of the distance’s seismic growth. Competitor.com reports that the annual number of half-marathon finishers topped 2 million for the first time in 2014 with 2,046,637 finishers. Just 25 years ago, a mere 303,000 people squeaked across a 13.1-mile finish line in 1990. That same year the Brooklyn Half Marathon had just 1,523 finishers.

Kids races at the Airbnb Brooklyn Half. (Courtesy NYRR)

Now in its 35th year, the race has a new title—the Airbnb Brooklyn Half—and new accompanying kids races. The NYRR Kids’ Boardwalk Run took children ages 7 to 18 on a one-mile and-and-back run along the Coney Island Boardwalk, starting and finishing at the Airbnb Brooklyn Half finish line.

The 13.1-mile course took participants from the Brooklyn Museum, past Grand Army Plaza, through the borough’s bucolic Prospect Park and to the southern reaches of Brooklyn to finish on the boardwalk at Coney Island, where the after-party at MCU Park, home of the New York Mets’ affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones, bumped until 1 p.m.

Running Inspiration

Race announcer! (RunKarlaRun.com)

I kicked off the Airbnb Brooklyn Half as one of the race announcers, and I have to say, it’s really impressive to see how long it takes more than 26,000 runners to clear the start.

The race began beside the Brooklyn Museum at 7:00 a.m. with two waves of runners. The last person started around 8:15 a.m.

But more impressive than the sheer number of people is how excited folks are at the beginning of their 13.1-mile journey. From my perch on the start stage, I saw thousands of waves, whoops, fist-pumps, and smiles. Sure, steely eyed and focused runners could be seen too. But the overwhelming emotion I saw was pure joy and excitement. It got me really excited to toe the line in a race again. Read the rest of this entry →

30

May 2015

The United Airlines NYC Half 2015 is ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple on Sunday, March 15 with 20,000 runners and 2,200 volunteers. I’ll be at the start as one of the race announcers, ready to send you on your way to a 13.1-mile tour of New York City—from Central Park through Times Square and along the Hudson River to a fabulous finish in the Financial District on Wall Street.

Are you running? Watching? Cheering someone on? Here’s your guide to the course, how to watch the broadcast, and how to track runners at the city’s marquee half-marathon, which kicks of the NYRR 5 Borough Series.

Course Map

The Course

The United Airlines NYC Half course is a tourist’s dream, showcasing a great diversity of the landscape that Manhattan offers. You’ll see Central Park, a peak at Harlem, Times Square, much of the West Side and Hudson River waterfront, Battery Park, and Financial District, including the historic South Street Seaport just steps away. You’ll take in tree-lined parkland, open skies over the river, skyscrapers, and glaring lights—a bit of it all.

Honestly, I love this course. Even as a New Yorker, I get chills running through Times Square. Do you know how rarely Times Square gets shut down? Just twice a year: for the ball drop on New Year’s Eve and for the United Airlines NYC Half. That’s it. It’s a big deal. Huge. As big as all those Jumbotrons you’ll see.

What can you expect along the way? A quiet 6-mile tour of Central Park and 110th street. Once you exit the park and start heading for Times Square, you’ll find 13 on-course entertainment zones, roughly every half mile, including seven bands and six DJ’s.

I’ve had a few runners ask me about the terrain. I’ve been a New Yorker for close to 15 years and have been running the city for 10 of them. I know every dip and turn along the way. I last ran this event in 2012 and have worked it as a broadcaster and announcer ever since.

The bad news: Central Park is no joke. Even the pros I’ve interviewed talk about how challenging the park’s rolling hills can be. Read the rest of this entry →

13

Mar 2015

Runners enter the Queensboro Bridge en route to Manhattan at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon. (Credit: Courtesy NYRR)

Didn’t get into the TCS New York City Marathon 2015 through the random draw that took place Tuesday, March 3? You can still be among the 50,000 runners on November 1, 2015 at the world’s largest 26.2-mile race. NYRR—who I work for as a race announcer—has opened entries to their Charity Running Program for 2015. The race will celebrate its 45th running.

Of the 80,080 drawing applicants, 14,326 runners gained entry into the race. That’s a 56 percent increase over 2014. If you missed your chance, you can get a guaranteed entry through one of the 300 official charity partners this year. Some 8,500 runners raised a record $34.5 million for charities at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon.

Actress Natalie Dormer of Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, and Tudors fame will be running the marathon as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador. As the race’s largest charity, the group raises money for NYRR’s free youth running programs serving 200,000 students locally and nationally who otherwise have little access to physical activity. Dormer last ran the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon in 3:50.57. Find out more about running with Dormer and Team For Kids at runwithtfk.org.

The 2014 TCS New York City Marathon was the largest marathon in history with 50,530 finishers from 130 countries running the Big Apple’s five boroughs. This year, nearly 130,000 runners will apply to run race through guaranteed and non-guaranteed entries, like the random draw, time qualifications, charity entries, and travel partners.

TCS New York City Marathon 2015 Charity Partners

Runners will be asked to raised a set amount of money in exchange for guaranteed entry into the race. Contact each group individually for more information or to register with them. More charities may be added throughout the spring. Find more info about the race’s charity program at nycmarathon.org.

Gold Charities

Gold level charities provide runners with race day perks and a VIP experience.

04

Mar 2015

Runners, get ready! Registration for the Airbnb Brooklyn Half 2015 opens Wednesday, January 21 at 12 p.m. EST. Race day is Saturday, May 16 at 7 a.m. In 2014, this race sold out inside of 48 hours. So if you want in, make sure to register sooner than later.

The Brooklyn Half Finish (Photo: nyrr_ontherun/Instagram)

The Brooklyn Half is one of my favorite races of the year. The last two years I hosted a special episode of NYRR’s “On The Run” on ABC in New York, and I’ve run the half-marathon in years prior. (I now freelance for NYRR as a race announcer.)

The Brooklyn Half is now the largest 13.1-mile race in the U.S. with 25,642 finishers in 2014, and NYRR is promising an even bigger crowd for 2015.

Part of NYRR’s Five Borough Series, the race starts outside the Brooklyn Museum and takes runners through Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park to finish on the Coney Island Boardwalk. Read the rest of this entry →

20

Jan 2015

UPDATED 3/13/15

The Course

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon will debut Saturday, October 10, 2015 with a start in Prospect Park. The 13.1-mile course will include out-and-back jaunts along Eastern Parkway and Ocean Parkway, before finishing with three miles in Prospect Park. A concert will follow the race.

Registration opens Monday, March 16 with a $55 early bird special.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series is expecting field of 17,500 runners. Bands will line the course at every mile and runners can celebrate with beers at the finish line concert. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series puts on about 30 events every year, each with music as the main feature.

The headliner has yet to be announced, but Rock ‘n’ Roll events in 2014 saw performances by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Aloe Blacc, Chromeo, Phillip Phillips and the cast of ABC’s Nashville.

Runners at Grand Army Plaza (Competitor Group, Inc)

Two local race organizations—New York Road Runners and NYCRUNS (companies I have worked with as a freelancer)—already operate distance races in the borough.

TCS New York City Marathon 2014 Race Week

Friday, October 31
5:25 p.m. at 7online.com
5:30 p.m. live on ABC7 in New York

Countdown to the Starting Line

Saturday, November 1
7:30 p.m. on ABC7 in New York

Get pumped for race day with “Countdown to the Starting Line,” live from the marathon finish line. “Eyewitness News” anchors Liz Cho and David Novarro preview the 44th TCS New York City Marathon. And I (yes, me!) pop-by to give a rundown on the top runners.

08

Sep 2014

The NYRR Team Championships is a 5-mile race in Central Park for all the running clubs in New York City. It’s one of the most fun races of the year and one of the best deals in the Big Apple at $10-$20 depending on how far in advance you sign-up.

(NYRR instagram)

To register, you must belong to an NYRR-recognized team (there are more than 90 of them) and run at least one NYRR race for that team in the previous year, though you don’t have to be an NYRR member. (In am an NYRR member and host On The Run, their web and TV show.)

However, most of NYRR’s 55+ races and events are open to everyone, members and non-members, team runners and non-team runners, tourists and New Yorkers alike, including dozens of 4-mile, 5-mile and 10K races in Central Park. If you want to run and race in New York City the next time you visit, you can find the whole schedule at nyrr.org. Team Championships is one of the few events that’s just for club runners.

Men and women race separately, which makes for a great morning. The men cheer on the women while they race and then the women root for the guys.

The course is a 5-mile loop, which makes it easy to catch your friends at the half or 1-mile marker, then cut across the center of the park to see them again at the 4 or 4.5-mile mark. Team runners line the entire first and last miles, with a few dotting the other miles in between.

With some teammates before the start. (Courtesy of NYRR)

As a result, NYRR Team Championships has the most people watching and cheering of any of the smaller “local” events in Central Park. Of course, teams cheer loudest for their own teammates as they race by, but we all clap and cheer for everyone. This team spirit is what makes it one of my favorite events. Read the rest of this entry →

Aug 2014

I told you about chances to run with Meb Keflezighi in both New York and San Diego earlier this year. Here’s another.

Meb Keflezighi will be back in New York on November 2, 2014. The 2009 New York City Marathon champion and 2014 Boston Marathon champion is running the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon as a Team for Kids Ambassador. (I’ll be covering the race once again as host of NYRR On The Run.)

You may not be able to run with him, but you can join Team for Kids, along with pro tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, the 2014 Istanbul Cup winner who ranked first worldwide in 2010 and 2011.

“Meb will highlight a world-class field of athletes competing for the marathon title, while Caroline will join thousands of runners raising critical funds for worthy charities,” said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners, in a press release. “They’ll serve as inspirations to the 50,000 runners and millions of fans lining the streets of the city’s five boroughs and watching the race broadcast around the world.”

As Team for Kids Ambassadors, Keflezighi and Wozniacki will take part in Team for Kids activities during race week and help raise money for New York Road Runners’ youth running programs. Money raised by Team for Kids participants goes toward free and low-cost health and fitness programs for kids who would otherwise have limited access to regular exercise. NYRR’s programs reach more than 200,000 children each year in more than 800 schools and community centers in New York City, the U.S., and the world. More than 1,700 Team for Kids runners will raise an estimated $4.5 million this year. Keflezighi will also be raising money for his own The MEB Foundation, which promotes youth health, education and fitness. Read the rest of this entry →

31

Jul 2014

Runners cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at the start of the ING New York City marathon. (Photo: Fergal Carr, via Creative Commons)

It’s no secret that the TCS New York City Marathon is one of my absolute favorite races. It was my first marathon in 2007. I’ve run it three times total and now cover the race with New York Road Runner’s On The Run web and TV show. I’ll be at the TCS New York City Marathon 2014 race with “On The Run” on November 2.

But if you want to join in the action in the Big Apple, you can win one of two official entries into the TCS New York City Marathon 2014 race courtesy of ASICS. Each winner will also receive an ASICS gift pack valued at $500. During “On The Run’s” race week coverage, I’m often decked out from head to toe in ASICS New York City Marathon gear. I love it so much that I continue to wear it year round, like at the Trot Off Your Turkey 5K. Read the rest of this entry →

26

Jul 2014

It’s finally up: the full episode of “On The Run at the 2014 NYRR Brooklyn Half,” hosted by yours truly. It aired on ABC in New York on May 31, 2014. So if you missed it or live outside the New York metro area, check out New York Road Runners’ show from America’s biggest half-marathon with 25,646 finishers.

On The Run at the 2014 Brooklyn Half

The focus of this show is less, “Who will win?” and more, “How much fun will everyone have?”

We go on a running tour of the course in the days before the race, meet a variety of Brooklyn locals from a first-time half-marathoner to a runner gunning for a top 10 finish, party it up at the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party presented by New Balance, bike through north Brooklyn and capture all the excitement of race day from the finish on the Coney Island Boardwalk.

Watch the full episode that aired on ABC above or take a look at a few of the show’s segments broken out from the full episode, below. Read the rest of this entry →

14

Jun 2014

Runners, did you know that we have our own holiday? On Wednesday, June 4 say, “Happy National Running Day!”

National Running Day is a coast-to-coast celebration of putting one foot in front of the other as a fun way to stay fit and healthy. Join a group run, chat on social media, cheer on kids, get race discounts, find a running team, score New Balance gear from a vending machine and more at events taking place around the U.S.

Held on the first Wednesday each June, National Running Day is an annual collaboration between America’s premier running organizations, including the Atlanta Track Club, the Boston Athletic Association, the Chevron Houston Marathon, the Chicago Area Runners Association, Competitor Group, Inc., the Little Rock Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, New York Road Runners, the Oregon Track Club, Running USA, the Twin Cities In Motion, and USA Track & Field. This year is the sixth anniversary of the event.

Join the conversation with #runningday on social media and visit www.runningday.org for more information. Here are just a few National Running Day events taking place online, nationwide and in New York City. Read the rest of this entry →

03

Jun 2014

New York City’s biggest borough now has America’s biggest half-marathon. And we’re bringing the action to you with “NYRR On The Run at the 2014 Brooklyn Half” on ABC7 in New York. Tune in Saturday, May 31 at 1:30 p.m.

My microphone (Photo: nyrr_ontherun/Instagram)

Hosted by yours truly, this half-hour episode of “On The Run” takes viewers on a tour of Brooklyn that’s 25,000 runners strong. We’ll bring you all the excitement of race week from the beer, bites and beats of the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party presented by New Balance in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge to the fantastic finish on the Coney Island boardwalk.

Be sure to watch or set your DVR. And if you’re not in the New York metro area, the episode will be available online after the broadcast at ontherun.nyrr.org.

Come take a trip on the Wonder Wheel and outrun the subway with “NYRR On The Run at the 2014 Brooklyn Half!”

Brooklyn Half On TV

Befitting such a big race, I spent Brooklyn Half race day at the start outside the Brooklyn Museum and the finish on the Coney Island Boardwalk with “NYRR On the Run” filming a TV episode for ABC in New York. All week long, we ran around Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party presented by New Balance catching all the action from race week.

Until then, here are some photos from my week. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Brooklyn Half is one of my absolute favorite races of the year. I love the pre-party, the course and the vibe. The race was my first half-marathon back in 2010, and I cheered on friends in 2011 and 2012. Now I’ve reported from the Brooklyn Half two years running with “NYRR On The Run” and it’s always a highlight of my year. Read the rest of this entry →

18

May 2014

The sold-out NYRR Brooklyn Half on Saturday, May 17 is almost here. A record 25,000 runners will trek 13.1 miles from Prospect Park to Coney Island. And with it comes one of my favorite parts of the event that anyone, even non-runners, can take part in: the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented By New Balance. It’s easily the best “expo” I’ve ever been to with Brooklyn bands, beers, a barber shop, food, fitness classes, group runs, shoe recycling, shopping and more.

At the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party. (Photo: nyrr_ontherun/Instagram)

This year the Pre-Party is going down at Pier 2 Brooklyn Bridge Park, a five acre playground of recreational and sports space. It’s a hop, skip or a jump from Manhattan via subway, water taxi, ferry and bus.

But why not make like a runner and run there?

The Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Fun Run, presented by New Balance, will take runners four miles from the New Balance Experience Store at 150 5th Avenue in Manhattan to the Pre-Party in Brooklyn on Thursday, May 15 at 10:30 a.m.

Runners who join the free event will get early access to the Pre-Party, skipping bib and shirt pickup lines. New Balance will even ferry your gear from the store to the party and front you a subway card for the trip home. RSVPs are limited. Sign up on the New Balance New York Facebook page.

Scenes from the Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented By New Balance. (Photo: nyrr_ontherun/Instagram)

Can’t ditch work that early on Thursday? The NYRR Brooklyn Half Pre-Party is open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15. On Friday, May 16 the Pre-Party will be hopping from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Be sure to bring your old running shoes and sneakers. NYRR is launching a Recycle Your Sole program at the Pre-Party. Runners who donate kicks will get a $25 coupon from New Balance, valid toward any purchase of $100 or more at the New Balance store in Manhattan. Read the rest of this entry →